The IT-park of Petrozavodsk State University hosted the International Workshop "Conflicts, borders and peace in Northern Europe" which was attended by students and teachers of the University of Tromsø (Norway), Petrozavodsk, Murmansk and Arkhangelsk, as well as students from Finland, Germany, Kyrgyzstan and Yemen.

For four days, more than 30 participants discussed the issues of foreign policy in Northern Europe, the Nordic countries" contribution to the theory and practice of peaceful resolution of conflicts, ways and means of peaceful settlement of conflicts in the international and inter-group level in the present conditions, paradiplomacy peace potential and cross-border cooperation.

In four working days participants attended lectures by representatives of University of the Arctic Norway, Petrozavodsk State University, Moscow State Mining University and NArFU.

The program included lectures and discussions in the form of seminars, as well as the students and graduates’ representation of their academic work on Conflict and Peace Studies with subsequent discussions. Russian and foreign participants of the workshop - the guests of our land – familiarized themselves with the Karelian culture and history in the old village of Kinerma.

The International Workshop students liked the format, the content of lectures, as well as a relaxed atmosphere in which classes were held. The materials of the International School, prepared on the basis of lectures and student presentations will be published in the proceedings of the International Forum «EuroNorth 2014".

The workshop is based on the university cooperation in the framework of the project “Barents Peace Education Network”, which aims to integrate the regions of Karelia, Murmansk, Arkhangelsk and Tromso in the field of research, higher education and school, as well as practical conflict resolution. Earlier this year, a delegation including students and teachers of Petrozavodsk State University, participated in a training on conflict transformation in Lillehammer (Norway). The school was organized in the framework of the development of student associations of PetrSU in 2013-2014 and the International Forum “EuroNorth 2014" "The Classic University in transborder space of the European North: the strategy of innovative development."